It had been a few
years since I had done any major modifications to my 4 Runner. I already
had a Dana 60 rear axle, Dana 44 front suspended by All-Pro front springs
and Chevy rears. This had proven to be a great set-up for rockcrawing
and general wheeling but the 4x4 modification disease had hit me again.
After watching many rigs that had 4 or 3 link suspensions over the past
few years I decided to talk to Bob Roggy from C&R
Motorsports in Placerville Ca. Little did I know C&R already had
a Toyota rear suspension kit in the planning stages so it seemed like
a perfect time to take the plunge. C&R offers 3 different Toyota Kits
to choose from. The 1st being the "3 Link Coil System" The 2nd
being the "3 or 4 Link Coilover System" and 3rd being the "4
Link 1/4 Elliptic System. I chose to have the "3 Link Coil System"
installed.

Over the years Bob
has built many suspensions and complete competition rigs. Bob had already
began designing a complete Kit for Toyota Trucks and 4 Runners, the only
difference with my application would be the Dana 60 rear axle. This axle
would require a change in the mounting of the wishbone due to it being
a cast piece vs the Toyota axle which is stamped steel. The goal of doing
this conversion was to get more suspension up travel/ down travel and
have better traction on steeper rock obstacles.

This would be the
1st installation of a C & R Kit so measurements would need to be accurate.
The basic "Coil" suspension design consists of a custom Upper
Wishbone made from 1.50 inch 120 wall welded seam tube that attaches to
the top of the differential using a custom weld on box enclosure.

The Wishbone then
connects inside the box using a "1 X 1" Heim Joint. The forward
part of the wishbone connects using Poly Bushings to a new weld on link
mount that supports the Upper and Lower forward links. This is a nicely
fabbed piece that's really beefy! The lower links are made from 1.75 inch
250 wall D.O.M. tubing. Each end is internally threaded and connects to
a 3/4 inch Heim. These lower links connect to the axle housing and the
forward link then attaches to the Link mount already welded to the frame.
This Kit does require the removal of the factory gastank. C & R installed
a 22 Gallon aftermarket tank in the rear of the bed area which worked
out perfect and allowed complete access to the frame. With this installation
it also stopped all of the gas tank rockrash common to Toyota Truck or
4Runner gastanks. C & R does not include this tank in the Kit but
will provide the tank for an added cost.

This Suspension Kit
actually allows complete axle adjustment from front to rear as well and
pinion angle adjustment.

Each Complete Kit
Includes:

Upper Wishbone
with Heim Joint

Lower Links with
Heim Joints

Rubicon Express
3" or 4" TJ Front Coils

ACHO'S Coil Adjusters

(2) Bilstein 5100
14" Shocks

Custom Coil Buckets
and retainers + Bumpstop

(2) Sway-Away
14" Limit Straps

Custom Axle Enclosure
and mount for Upper Wishbone

Complete mounting
instructions and Grade "8" Hardware

After the installation
was complete C&R again cycled the suspension to check all connection
points and links. As the pictures show the rear coils work excellent during
compression and extension. C&R also installed a complete custom Front
4 Link suspension using 14" Sway-Away Coilovers. (Full Write Coming
Soon). The Front suspension is not a kit, but can be installed by C&R
to a Toyota or Dana axle...Call for details.

Overall Impressions

To date I have driven
the 4Runner on the street and the new suspension works excellent. There
is more noticeable bodyroll under hard cornering so a Sway-Bar is in the
works. I only had a chance to test the suspension has been the All-Pro
4Runner Jamboree, its the Hammers so what an excellent place to try out
the 4Runner. I ran SledgeHammer, Backdoor and Outer Limits........man
let me say the truck is way more compliant over almost all terrain! Over
hard bumps the rear just soaks up the hard hits with ease. The coils have
stayed totally contained within the custom buckets at full droop with
works out to over 2ft !!. I am really looking forward to more in-depth
testing so stay tuned for a final update and more information on the front
suspension!